Nanotechnology Applications of Flavonoids for Viral Diseases

Abstract

Recent years have witnessed the emergence of several viral diseases, including various zoonotic diseases such as the current pandemic caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Other viruses, which possess pandemic-causing potential include avian flu, Ebola, dengue, Zika, and Nipah virus, as well as the re-emergence of SARS (Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome) and MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) coronaviruses. Notably, effective drugs or vaccines against these viruses are still to be discovered. All the newly approved vaccines against the SARS-CoV-2-induced disease COVID-19 possess real-time possibility of becoming obsolete because of the development of ‘variants of concern’. Flavonoids are being increasingly recognized as prophylactic and therapeutic agents against emerging and old viral diseases. Around 10,000 natural flavonoid compounds have been identified, being phytochemicals, all plant-based. Flavonoids have been reported to have lesser side effects than conventional anti-viral agents and are effective against more viral diseases than currently used anti-virals. Despite their abundance in plants, which are a part of human diet, flavonoids have the problem of low bioavailability. Various attempts are in progress to increase the bioavailability of flavonoids, one of the promising fields being nanotechnology. This review is a narrative of some anti-viral dietary flavonoids, their bioavailability, and various means with an emphasis on the nanotechnology system(s) being experimented with to deliver anti-viral flavonoids, whose systems show potential in the efficient delivery of flavonoids, resulting in increased bioavailability.

Alpinetin: A Review of Its Pharmacology and Pharmacokinetics

“…Novel nanotechnologies mainly included nanoparticles, nanogel, nanocrystals, nanoemulsion, nanosuspension, micelles, liposome, solid lipid nanoparticles, self-nanoemulsifying drug delivery systems (SNEDDS), and self-micro-emulsifying drug delivery system (SMDDS) (Ahmad et al, 2016;Alothaid et al, 2021;Jain et al, 2021). Utilizing nanotechnology has created foremost progresses toward enhancing stability, bioavailability, delivery, sustained release, and therapeutic index of flavonoids (Ayala-Fuentes and Chavez-Santoscoy, 2021; Jannat et al, 2021). Considering the promising therapeutic effects of alpinetin, these novel nano-drug delivery systems as prospective approaches should be exploited to deliver alpinetin in a managed and specific way.…”

Does Oxidative Stress Management Help Alleviation of COVID-19 Symptoms in Patients Experiencing Diabetes?

“…Molecular docking studies showed that the compound (quercetin) has high binding affinities to various targets in SARS-CoV-2 [81], and can be a potential nutraceutical against COVID-19 [82][83][84]. It is evident that both diabetes and COVID-19 induce the over-production of reactive oxygen species, which ultimately may cause damage to many vital organs, including the kidney, heart, and lungs [17].…”

The Role of Medicinal and Aromatic Plants against Obesity and Arthritis: A Review

“…Flavonoids are natural polyphenolic compounds with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antiviral properties, as well as protective effects on the gastrointestinal tract [ 379 , 380 , 381 , 382 ]. Apigenin, cyanidin, (-)-epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate (EGCG), genistein, kaempferol, luteolin, puerarin, and quercetin are all antioxidants ( Table 6 ); therefore, these compounds demonstrate an inverse relationship between oxidative stress and arthritis, with or without obesity [ 383 , 384 , 385 , 386 , 387 ].…”